Japanese Light or Dinner for Eight

Japanese Light

Author: Kimiko Barber

Japanese cuisine is renowned for being among the healthiest and tastiest in the world. Low-fat and less dependent on meat and dairy products, the Japanese way of eating is exactly how Westerners are trying to eat today. Kimiko Barber is the perfect teacher to show both beginner and advanced home cooks how to prepare 120 delicious recipes.

Library Journal

Barber is coauthor of Sushi: Taste and Technique, an excellent introduction to the topic, and author of The Japanese Kitchen. Her new book presents more than 100 healthful, mostly sophisticated recipes. While there are some traditional dishes, many of the recipes reflect influences from a variety of cuisines: Japanese Bean Ratatouille, for example, and Tomatoes in Red Miso with Cilantro Pesto. There are gorgeous color photographs of many dishes, along with a good introduction to Japanese cooking and a section on "How to Eat," with notes on presentation, etiquette, and menu composition. For most subject collections. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

New interesting book: Welcome to the Table or Gourmet Herbs

Dinner for Eight: 40 Great Dinner Party Menus for Friends and Family

Author: Denise Landis

Dinner for Eight is the perfect primer for any newly minted home cook who wants to begin inviting friends over, but it's also rich with fresh ideas for any seasoned chef. Landis guides readers through a dinner party timeline of advance preparation and last-minute finishes to ensure a fabulous, flawless dinner party.

Library Journal

Landis has been a recipe tester for the New York Times for 14 years, so she knows how to write a good recipe. Now she offers 40 seasonal menus based on the food she most likes to cook. Some are her own recipes, some have appeared in the Times, and others were inspired by recipes from Times writers, chefs, and other contributors. Most of the menus-which consist of an hors d'oeuvre, appetizer, entree, side dish, and dessert-are fairly complicated, with long ingredients lists. Even experienced cooks may find a dinner of Snow Peas Stuffed with Mascarpone, Baked Stuffed Clams, Risotto with Sage and Prosciutto, Fiddlehead Salad, and Bulgarian Baklava-the first menu in the book-rather daunting; however, many of the dishes can be prepared at least partially in advance. Relative novices will find books like Ted Allen's The Food You Want To Eat and Francine Maroukian's Esquire Eats: How To Feed Your Friends and Lovers more suitable, but cooks who love to entertain will appeciate Landis's title. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.